Kuzhi Paniyaram

Kuzhi Paniyaram is a fried dish made with idli batter. Very tasty. In some places this is served as a breakfast dish. I prefer it as a tea-time snack -  Hot and crispy with coconut chutney.

                               

Ingredients:                                                    Makes 15 - 16 kuzhi paniyarams
Idly Batter - 1cup
Salt to taste
                             

For seasoning:
Mustard - 1/4 teaspoon
Black gram split - 2 teaspoon
Shallots/ onion (chopped) - 3 tablespoon
Carrot (grated) - 1 medium sized
Green chilly (finely chopped) - 1
Curry leaves - a few
Oil - 2 teaspoons

 For Coconut chutney: 
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Shallots -   3 - 4
Green chillies -   4 - 5
Ginger - a thin slice
Salt
Water - 1/4 - 1/2 cup
                                           

For seasoning:
Mustard - 1/4 teaspoon
Whole red chillies - 2 (each cut into 2 or 3 pieces )
Shallots (chopped) - 2
Curry leaves - a few
Oil - 2 teaspoons

Preparation:

First we will make chutney, So that we will be able to devour the kuzhi paniyarams hot.

1. Grind together coconut, shallots, green chillies and ginger with little water to a smooth paste. Taste of the chutney depends on the quality and freshness of the coconut used.
2. Heat a pan, add oil and all the other seasoning ingredients. When the mustard starts spluttering, add water and bring to a boil.Lower the flame. Add salt and chutney paste. Mix well and remove from flame. Do not boil.  Trasfer to a serving bowl.
                                     

Making Kuzhi paniyaram:

1. Heat a pan, add 2 teaspoons of oil and add mustard. When it splutters add the chopped shallots/ onions. Stir fry. When it turns translucent add the carrot, green chilly and curry leaves. Stir for a minute or two on medium flame or until the mixture dries up. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes.

2.Add the carrot mixture into the batter and stir well. Adjust salt to your liking.

3. Wash and dry the Appam Patra. Pour half to one teaspoon of oil into each depression. Heat the Appam Patra on medium flame. When the oil starts boiling, drop a spoonful of batter into each depression. When one side is fried, flip and cook the other side. When both sides are golden brown, remove and drain on a paper towel.
           

Serve hot with coconut chutney, sambhar or any other chutney of your liking.

Coconut and Rice Payasam

    I was on the look out for an easy payasam recipe. It was then i came across this one. When i went through the recipe i remembered having it some place. Very less ingredients, easy to prepare, and not too heavy. Thanks to Sharmi's                                      

 
Ingredients:                                                                                          Serves 4

1. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
2. Raw rice - 3 tablespoon
3. Jaggery - 1/2 cup
4.Boiled milk - 1/4 cup
5. Water - 21/2 cups
6. Ghee - 2 teaspoon
7. Cardamom - 1/4 teaspoon
8. Cashew nuts - 6
9. Raisins - 10
                                                   

Preparation:

• Melt jaggery with little water. When it is one string consistency remove from fire. Strain and keep aside. 
• Wash the rice and soak it in water for at least 30 minutes.
• Grind rice and coconut with very little water and very very coarsely. Bigger grains of rice must be there, otherwise your payasam will turn out to be a sweet paste. 
• Boil water in a heavy gauge saucepan. Lower the flame and add the coconut-rice mix. Let it cook.
• Once the rice is cooked and the mixture is of porridge consistency, add the jaggery syrup. Stir well and cook for another 3 minutes.

                   

Add the cardamom powder. Stir well and let the payasam cool for 10 minutes.
Break the cahewnuts into pieces and fry it and the raisins in ghee.
After the payasam cools a bit add the boiled milk and stir well. Add the fried nuts and raisins and stir once more.

Serve hot/warm/chilled.

Nankhatai

   Nankhatais, the crispy and tasty indian shortbreads, are very easy to make. And i was waiting for a recipe which made use of healthier ingredients. Finally i got it from rak's kitchen.
                                                

Ingredients:                                                                               Makes 20 - 23

Preparation:
1.Grind the sugar and cardamom together into a fine powder.

2.Preheat oven to 180 degree C.

3.Sift together wheat flour, all purpose flour, sugar and baking powder, so that all the ingredients are mixed well. Add this to a bowl and mix well once more.

4.Add ghee little by little and rub into the flour mix. Continue this until you get a stiff dough. No Water.

5.Divide the dough into 20 equal parts.Roll each into a ball and flatten slightly. I used a cutter.

6.Line a cooking tray with cookie sheet / grease the tray with ghee and dust with flour. Place the nankhatais on the tray.

7.Bake for 10 -12 minutes at 180 degree C. Keep an eye on the nankhatais while baking, the colour must not change to dark brown. When you observe slight colour change take them out immediately ( don't follow the baking time strictly here, trust the appearence or you will be left with a handful of burnt nankhatais ) and cool on the wire rack. If you have a second batch, it will take even lesser time to bake.

Note:If you have pistachios, grind them coarsely. After rolling out and flattening the nankhatais, make a cross sign on each of them and top with the ground pistachios/ cashew nuts/ almonds and then bake.
Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup
All purpose flour -1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup (You can use lesser quantity, if you wish)
Ghee (melted) - 1/2 cup (you may not need all)
Cardamom -1
Baking Powder - 1 pinch
Pistachios - 10 (optional) it is for garnishing
                                           

Cabbage Potato Masala

     

                                                                                                                                       Serves 4
Preparation:

• Wash and cut the vegetables.

• Grind the dry masala.
• Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan, add oil. When the oil starts to boil add the aniseeds, coriander and sesame seeds respectively.
• When the seeds start spluttering add the cut vegetables and the ground masala.

• Mix well. Press down the mixture lightly, cover and cook on a low flame; till the potatoes are well cooked.
• Stir in between for even cooking and to avoid the vegetables getting burnt.
• Serve warm with rice/roti/dosa.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Ingredients:

Cabbage shredded - 2 cups
Onion chopped - 1/2 cup
Potato - 1 medium size (cubed)
Green chillies - 4 (Slit)
Ginger - 1 teaspoon (cut into thin strips)

For Masala:

Red chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon
Fennel seeds/Aniseed - 1/2 tablespoon
Asafoetida/ Hing - 2 pinches

For seasoning: 

Oil - 2 tablespoon
Aniseed - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Sesame seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Aaloo Paratta

                                           

                                           Makes 5 medium size Parathas  


Preparation:

Make a dough using Wheat flour, oil, salt and enough water in the consistency of chappati or Roti dough. Keep aside for 30 minutes.Divide the dough into 5 equal parts.

Filling: Mash the potatoes well. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Add salt to taste. Add lime juice.  Divide this into 5 equal parts.

Smear oil on a roti maker. Place a ball of dough on it and roll out slightly. Place a ball of the filling in the centre of the small roti and cover the filling from all sides. Smooth the joints, apply little oil all over this and roll it out gently.

Heat a tawa, smear little oil/ghee and cook the parathas. Flip and cook on both sides. pour little ghee/oil on the paratha while cooking.

Serve hot with pickle and curd/yogurt. Garnish the paratha with butter (optional).

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour - 1 1/2 cups
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water enough to make a dough

Filling:

Potato (boiled and mashed ) - 1 cup
Onion (chopped ) - 1/3 cup
Green chilly (finely chopped ) - 1 OR Red chilly powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Ginger (finely chopped )  1/4 teaspoon (optional)
Turmeric - a pinch (optional)
Coriander leaves ( chopped ) - 1 tablespoon (optional )
Lime juice - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Oil - 1 table spoon ( for rolling out the parathas)
Ghee/ oil - 2 - 3 tablespoons ( for cooking the parathas ) 

Parippu / Dal Kerala Style

                                                 

Preparation:

Roast the moong dal carefully, without changing the colour, stirring continuously for a minute.
Transfer the roast dal into a pressure cooker. Pour 2 cups of water and cook. 2 whistles. Remove from stove and keep aside for sometime or until it is safe to open the lid.
                                     

Grind together coconut, cumin, garlic and turmeric.
Add the ground mixture into the cooked dal. Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil and remove from flame. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Seasoning:

Heat Ghee in a pan. Add shallots, mustard, red chilly and finally curry leaves. When the mustard starts spluttering, pour the seasoning over the prepared dal.

Serve hot with rice and pappadams. Also suitable for Rotis.

Ingredients:                                                          4 Servings

Moong Dal / Split green gram - 1/3 cup
Water - 2 cups
Grated coconut - 1/3 cup
Cumin seeds - 2 pinches
Garlic -1 segment
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Salt

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Ghee - 2-3 teaspoons
Whole red chilly - 2 - 3 (each cut into 2 or 3 pieces)
Shallots 2 - 3 (chopped)
Curry leaves - a few

Cutlet Veg

Ingredients:                                                                                                  Makes 10 cutlets

Preparation:

Heat a pan. Add 11/2 tablespoon oil. Add the mustard and fennel seeds. When the seeds start spluttering add the onions and and saute.
When the onions become translucent add ginger garlic paste and stir on medium flame.
Add green chilly, stir for a few seconds and add the carrot.
Stir for a few seconds and add the mashed potatoes, turmeric powder and salt. Stir and mix the ingredients well.
Now add the crushed pepper, coriander leaves and lime juice. Stir and remove from the stove. Let it cool.

Meantime beat the eggs.
When the veg mixture is cool, divide it into 10 equal parts. Shape each piece into a cutlet.
Heat oil in a deep fry pan. When the oil starts boiling, dip each cutlet in the beaten egg, roll in the breadcrumbs and deep fry to golden brown. 

Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Ingredients:

Cooked and mashed potatoes - 11/2 cups
Onion (finely chopped) -1/2 cup
Carrot (grated) - 1/3 cup
Green chilly (finely chopped) - 11/2 tablespoon
Ginger- garlic paste - 1/2 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Black pepper (crushed) -1/2 teaspoon
Coriander leaves (chopped) - 11/2 tablespoon
Lime juice/Vineager  - 1 teaspoon
salt to taste
Oil - 11/2 tablespoon
Mustard - 1/4 teaspoon
Fennel - 1/4 teaspoon
Oil - 1 cup (for frying the cutlets)
Egg -1 (lightly beaten)
Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup

Greek Moussaka Veg.

                                               

Ingredients:

Base:
Eggplants - 6 (medium size)
Oil / Olive oil - 2 table spoon

Veg Sauce:
1.Minced vegetables - 500 grams (boiled and mashed chickpeas/ green peas, softened and minced soya nuggets, zucchini etc.)
2. onions - 2 medium finely chopped
3. Bell peppers - 1 finely chopped
4. Garlic - 4 cloves ( grated )
5. Tomato puree - 1 cup
6. sugar - 1 teaspoon (optional)
7. Red wine / water - 1/2 cup
8. Pepper powder and salt to taste
9. Oil /olive oil - 1/4  cup  (preferably pomace)
10. Tomato sauce - 2 tablespoon
11. Spices: Oregano - 1/2 teaspoon; cumin - 1/2 teaspoon; cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon

Bechamel sauce:
1. Milk - 2 cups
2. butter - 1/4 cup
3. Flour - 1/4 cup
4. All spices - 1 teaspoon
5. Egg yolk - 1
6. Parmesan / Cheddar cheese - 100 grams

Potato Layer:
Potato - 6 medium sized ones ( cut into 1/4 inch rounds )

Preparation:
Eggplant:
Take a saucepan of water and add 1/4 cup salt into it.Cut the top and bottom ends of the eggplant and cut 1/4 inch rounds.Drop them in salt water and set aside for 30 minutes. In the meantime we can prepare the vegetable sauce.After 30 minutes, take out the eggplant slices from salt water and dry each piece using a kitchen towel.

Heat a shallow fry pan, add 2 tablespoon of pomace olive oil / oil and cook the eggplant slices on both sides until they are golden brown. Keep aside.

Veg Sauce: 
Heat a heavy bottomed pan, add olive oil / oil and fry the onions till it becomes translucent.

Add bell peppers and saute for a couple of minutes.

Add grated garlic, tomato puree, tomato sauce, pepper, salt and the powdered spices. Fry for 3 minutes.

Add sugar only if you want, not necessary.

Add minced vegetable mixture and combine well. Fry for 5 minutes on medium flame.

Add red wine / water and cook on high flame until it boils. Turn down to medium high heat and keep it covered and stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens and oil separates.

Potatoes: 
Add the sliced potatoes in water with half spoon of salt and boil for 5 minutes on medium heat until the potatoes are just cooked. Do not overcook the potatoes.

Drain and keep aside until all the components are ready.

Bechamel Sauce: 
Heat milk in a sauce pan. Bring down the flame once it is boiled. Let the milk be on flame till the butter and flour cooks.

Heat the butter in a heavy bottomed pan on low heat.

When the butter melts completely and shows up bubbles add the flour little by little, stirring continuously, to avoid any lumps.Keep the flame low. Let it cook for a couple of minutes. Keep stirring.

Add the hot milk slowly and continuously into the butter-flour mixture while stirring continuously. Add salt and all spice. Mix well.

Keep stirring on medium flame until it thickens up a bit. Switch off the stove.

Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl.

Add about half a cup of the hot sauce into the whisked egg yolks and mix well. Here we are tempering the yolks to not cook up and scramble.

Now add this egg mixture into the hot sauce while stirring well. Keep this back on the flame and cook until it thickens up a bit.

Assembly and Baking:

Bring and keep all the things you need together: Baking dish, Egg plant, potato, veg sauce, bechamel sauce, grated cheese. Since i couldn't get parmesan/cheddar cheese, i used Mozarella.
1. Butter the baking dish. Arrange the eggplant slices overlapping and covering the base. Sprinkle  some grated cheese over this.( If you prefer to use potatoes as the base you can do that and the egg plant slices can be layered over the first veg sauce layer)
2. Add half of the veg sauce over the egg plant layer and spread evenly.
3. Arrange half of the potato slices on top of the veg sauce layer.
4. Add the remaining half of the veg sauce layer over the potato layer.
5. Layer the remaining potato slices over this.
6. Now pour the bechamel sauce over this potato layer and smooth out.
7. Sprinkle the grated cheese on the top as the final layer. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degree C for 20 - 25 minutes until the top is golden brown.
8. The top layer is bubbly in the oven and it is soft while it is hot. It will set when it cools down. Cool on wire rack and serve while it is just luke warm to get clean slices

Unniyappam

                                                                     

Unniyappam is a kind of fried muffin popular in Kerala.

Ingredients:                                                                                       Makes 23 pieces.

Rice Flour / Whole wheat flour - 150 grams
Jaggery - 100 grams
Very ripe Robasta Banana - 1 (medium size )
Water - 1/4 cup
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Sesame seeds - 1 teaspoon
Fried Coconut bits - 1 tablespoon
Oil or Ghee for frying

Preparation:

Add 1/4 cup water to the jaggery and melt it thoroughly on a very low flame. Let it cool. Pass through a sieve to remove impurities.

Mash the banana thoroughly.

Mix together the flour, melted jaggery, mashed banana, cardamom powder, fried coconut bits and sesame seeds. Make a thick batter, if more water is needed you may add, so that you get an idly batter consistency. Let the batter rest for 2 hours. 6 - 8 hours give best results.

Heat oil in an appam patra. Just when the oil starts to boil drop a spoonful of batter into each depression. After a minute flip and cook the unniyappams on medium flame.You can flip again, until they are evenly cooked.

Serve warm.

Note: Unniyappams made with Wheat flour are softer.

Note:  If you cook on high heat the centre of the unniyappams will remain raw. If the oil is not properly heated the unniyappams will absorb more oil.

Appam patra can be purchased online too.

Onion Pakoda with Whole Wheat flour

Ingredients:
                                             

1.Whole wheat flour - 1/2 cup
2.Onion chopped - 1
3.Chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon
4.Green chilly (finely chopped ) - 2
5.Curry leaves ( chopped ) - 3 - 4 leaves
6.Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
7.Oil - 2 teaspoon
8.Salt  to taste
9.Water
10.Oil - 3/4 cup ( for frying )

Preparation:

*Mix together the first seven ingredients. Add salt to taste. Add little water and make a very thick and smooth batter. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a deep fry pan. Drop spoonfuls of the batter and deep fry on medium flame.

Serve hot with tomato sauce.

*Note:  I usually mix wheat flour, a pinch of salt and water into a very thick batter and keep it covered for 6 - 7 hours. Then add all the other ingredients and make the pakoda.  The batter should be of dropping consistency, not pouring. So that the pakoda absorbs very little oil and is tastier

Tahini Paste - a Lebanese Dip

Ingredients:
                                               

1.Sesame seeds - 2 tablespoons
2.Lemon Juice - 1 1/2 tablespoons
3.Olive oil - 2 Tablespoons
4.Garlic - 1 clove
5.Salt to taste
6.Curd - 1 cup

Preparation:

Roast the sesame seeds on a medium flame for a few seconds. Allow it to cool.

Transfer to a mixer bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Blend to a smooth paste.

Your Tahini Paste is ready. Now to make a dip, combine this paste with curd and whisk well.

Serve chilled with Pita (Mediteranian Flat bread) or Lavash ( Armenian Flat Bread).

Cabbage Coconut fry

                                                                 

Preparation:

Wash and shred cabbage.

Crush the cumin seeds and garlic together.

Heat a pan . Add oil, black gram, mustard and dry chilly. When the mustard starts spluttering, add the curry leaves. After a few seconds add the cabbage and stir well. lower the flame. Press the cabbage down, Cover and cook for a minute or two. The cabbage should not lose its crispness. Remove the lid and add the coconut, turmeric and chilly powder and the crushed cumin and garlic. Add salt. Stir thoroughly. If there is any water content , dry it up on high flame. Stir continuously. Remove from stove.

Serve with rice

Note: Cabbage can be replaced by amaranth, Spinach and cooked beans, beetroot, drumsticks etc. 

Ingredients:
                                   
Cabbage - 1/4 cabbage ( shredded )
Coconut (scraped) - 1/3 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Garlic - 1- 2 cloves
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Dry red chilly - 2
Split black gram ( urad dal ) - 2 teaspoons
Curry leaves - a few
Oil - 2 - 3 teaspoons

Fried Jackfruit Seeds

                                                                 

Ingredients:

Jack fruit seeds - 12
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 1/2 tablespoon
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Remove the outer skin of the jackfruit seeds. Scrape off the brown skin. Wash and drain. Cut each seed lengthwise into 4 or 5 pieces.

Boil water in a shallow pan. Add the pieces, turmeric and chilly powder. Cover and cook for 5 - 10 minutes  on a low flame.

Now remove the lid and add salt. Stir. When all the water dries up add the oil and fry the pieces to golden brown.

Serve hot with rice.

Mocha Cake

                                                             

Ingredients for cake:
                                         
All purpose Flour - 1 cup
Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Brown sugar - 1 cup
Egg - 1
butter - 60 grams
Milk - 1/3 cup
Cocoa powder - 1 tablespoon
Instant Coffee powder - 2 teaspoon

Note:  If you don't like the taste of coffee in your cake, you can avoid. I did. But i love the cocoa - coffee frosting.

For Frosting:

Butter - 1 tablespoon
Instant coffee powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cocoa powder -  1 teaspoon
Icing sugar - 1 cup
Milk a few teaspoons ( to give the mixture a spreading consistency )

Preparation:

Preheat oven at 170 degree C. Line a 6 or 7 inch cake tin with butter paper and smear it with butter.

Add all ingredients of the cake into a bowl and beat on medium high speed for 3 - 5 minutes until the mixture becomes very creamy .

Transfer the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 - 40 minutes or till the top of the cake is springy to touch or a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting:

Beat cocoa, butter, coffee and icing sugar together. Add a teaspoon of milk at a time until the required consistency is reached. Spread the frosting on top of the cake using a metal spatula or spoon. 

Ripe Banana Fry / Pazham Pori

This is a very popular Snack in Kerala.

Ingredients:

(The Nendran variety of banana used for the recipe is available in Kerala and shops selling Kerala merchandise all over the country.)

Very ripe Banana - 2 medium sized
All purpose flour - 3 tablespoon
Salt - 1 pinch
Baking Soda - 2 pinches
Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 3/4 cup
Water - a few table spoons

Preparation:

Peel the bananas and cut each into 3 parts. Slice each piece lengthwise into 3 equal parts. So that we get bite-size pieces. You can make it in any size.

Mix together the flour, salt, baking soda and sugar. Add very little water and make a thick batter. Keep aside.

Place a deep fry pan on the stove and pour oil. Heat oil. When the oil starts to boil, dip each banana piece in the batter and deep fry. A thin coating of batter is enough.

Serve hot.

This time the Nendran banana i got was 23 cms. long.